Time away together remains a priority for families in the UK, with over 6 in 10 (64%) travelling abroad last year(1).
Travel insurance experts at Confused.com recently explored family holiday habits, including planning, travel costs and how many parents go away with their adult children.
Family holidays are important to parents
The majority (84%) of parents surveyed feel it’s important that their children join them on holidays. Two thirds (66%) travel abroad with their children at least once a year.
The decision of whether their children join them primarily depends on destination appeal (36%), their school or university schedule and affordability for the parent(s) (29%). In terms of the destination, over half (58%) of parents decide the location themselves, while almost two-fifths (37%) involve their children, deciding jointly as a family.
While family holidays bring excitement, there are also notable challenges flagged by respondents. For young children, these include keeping them entertained, lack of relaxation for the parents and managing their routines. For teenagers, the main setbacks are their attitude / mood, keeping them interested and their desire for independence vs family time.
The bank of mum and dad covers costs
Parents are still eager to take their children on holiday even when they reach adulthood. Almost 9 in 10 (89%) respondents with grown up children said they have been away with them since turning 18.
87% of these parents even cover one or more holiday costs for their adult children, from flights to activities. Respondents revealed they / their partner typically pay for the following:
| Holiday cost | % Parent(s) paying for adult children |
| Accomodation | 78% |
| Transport at the destination | 74% |
| Flights | 69% |
| Food / drinks | 68% |
| Activities | 59% |
In terms of when parents would stop paying for their adult children to join family holidays, over half (52%) said when they are financially stable, while over 1 in 5 (21%) would never stop contributing.
Funding trips doesn’t stop there; nearly half (47%) of all respondents also revealed that they’ve contributed towards their children’s holidays abroad without them. These were mainly school trips (62%), as well as holidays with their friends (38%) and other family members (35%).
Plus ones are welcome on trips abroad
Almost half of parents would allow their children to bring a partner (48%) or a friend (47%) with them on a family holiday.
When asked who covers the costs of the additional traveller, 67% of parents said they would contribute to them joining. Not only would almost half (45%) pay for their accommodation, but also their food / drinks (47%), activities (42%) and 1 in 3 (32%) would even pay for their flights.
Tom Vaughan, travel insurance expert at Confused.com comments on making sure everyone is covered ahead of family holidays:
“For family holidays, consider a family travel insurance policy, as they are usually cheaper than individual quotes. They also simplify the process since you only need to go through it once. You can add up to 2 adults and 8 children (up to the age of 18) on one policy. Over 547,000 families looked for this type of travel insurance policy on Confused.com last year(2).
Make sure your policy type covers the trip you’re planning. For example if you’re going on a cruise, you’d need specialist cover which can be selected during the application process. Additionally, if you’re bringing gadgets to keep the kids entertained, it’s sensible to include these on your policy in case they get lost, stolen or damaged during the trip.
If you have other travellers joining, like your children’s friends or partners, it’s important to check that they have insurance in place too. Group travel insurance is an option – similar to a family policy, you only go through the quote process once and it can cover up to 10 people, but you don’t all need to live at the same address.”
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